Madara and Reiko
by winterune
Summary: As the title suggests, this is a story about Madara and Reiko-how they met, the bond they shared.


A/N: I've always been interested about Madara and Reiko, how they met and all. We never knew about it in the anime. I learned that even in the manga, we still don't know about that. Then I came across a fanart in tumblr that became my inspiration to write this piece of story. I'm really happy I get to write this!

Thanks for reading ^^ Comments and reviews are much appreciated, thanks!

* * *

"Hey!"

His ears twitched. _What is it now?_

"Hey, you!"

 _Ignore it._

"Hellooo! Can't you hear me?"

His eyes remained shut. First he had to deal with those squabbling ayakashi and now this. Couldn't he have a decent nap around here? Sunlight was rare these days and the heat was almost gone.

" _Hey!_ " the voice yelled just as something small and hard struck his face.

He was up in an instant, head snapping toward the source of the voice, baring his sharp teeth with a snarl—then stopped short.

"Finally," the owner of the voice sighed.

For a moment he was taken aback by what he saw. A creature on two legs. Its skin was bare around the arms and legs. The only fur—or hair—it had was on what seemed to be its head—long and brown. He sniffed.

Human child.

A growl sounded from deep within his throat.

"How dare a mere human child hit me? I should eat you for your insolence."

But the human didn't even blink. It only waved its hand with a bored look on its face. "Yes, yes, I've been there."

The threat didn't work. It should've sent it running with its tail between its legs—oh wait, humans didn't have tails, did they?

He grunted. "Well? What reason do you have for pulling me from my beautiful nap?"

"You weren't napping yet and I wouldn't have hit you if you'd answered my call."

"And who am I to answer a call from a mere human such as you?" He felt his mouth stretching into a feral grin, revealing all his fangs.

The human stared at him for a moment, before it gave him a smile that practically said, _try me_. "Wanna play a game?"

He stared back at the human. "I don't play games with humans," he said and turned around, resting his head above his paws and closed his eyes. "If you're done, please go away and bother someone else."

"Wait!"

He clicked his tongue and decided to hear it. It'll be gone quicker that way.

It nodded to its side. Nothing's there.

"What?" he said, irritated.

The human rolled its eyes and nodded more pointedly to its side. He shifted his gaze and found one of those squabbling little ayakashi he had to deal with before he could take a nap in that clearing. The ayakashi with pointed ears jerked and squeaked in terror.

"This little fellow said his lunch fell near your paw."

"What?" The sound came between incredulous and anger and sure enough, when he lifted his right forepaw, there were several fruits lying around there.

He huffed. He looked at the ayakashi, who squirmed underneath his glare. He sighed. "Go on. Take it and leave."

"Yes!" they squeaked and hurried over to his paw, gathered their fallen fruits, and fled as if the devil was on them.

"Now, if you're done, go away," he said and settled again on his side and closed his eyes. But the sun was already gone and the warmth on the ground had disappeared. He sighed and cursed at every living thing he knew.

He was so upset that he'd lost his beautiful perfect nap he didn't realize the human was clearing its throat again and again and trying to catch his attention.

"What is it?" he asked, letting the bite show in his voice.

"My shoe, please," it said, holding out one hand.

"What?" He looked around and found a shoe lying across the grass. "Is this what you threw at me?"

"Yes, now give it back," it said.

"You're the one who threw it away." He grabbed the shoe with his teeth. "Get it back yourself." And he tossed it away to who knew where.

The human's shock was quite tangible and its look of pure anger at what he'd done soothed a little of his irritation that he had lost his nap.

 **~ O ~**

The human was called Reiko. Natsume Reiko. He knew it in no time because that name was quite popular around here. A human child who appeared to have strong spiritual powers it had even beaten many strong ayakashi in the mountain. Many were afraid of her. Many were interested in her. And many were hungry for her power. More than her power was the rumored Book of Friends that carried the names of all the ayakashi she had defeated. Everyone wanted that book for themselves.

As for him… Well, the human piqued his interest. The book certainly piqued his interest. But he doubted they would meet again—unless the human was foolish enough to seek him out—

Which, she apparently did, because just the next day, as he was dozing in yet a different clearing underneath yet another patch of sunlight, he heard its voice.

"Found you!"

He groaned but stayed still. It might go away if it thought he was really sleeping.

"I know you're not sleeping!"

 _Ignore it. Ignore it._

"I'm talking to you!" He didn't respond. "Yes, you—the white hairy dog with the big head."

He snarled before he could think. "Who are you calling a big head?"

It smiled, but the giggle he heard came from somewhere else—someone just behind it. A youkai with blue hair in a blue kimono.

"Well, it's true," Hinoe giggled. "You do have a big head."

"Hinoe," he growled. "What are you doing with the likes of it?"

"Where are your manners, Madara?" Hinoe asked. "It is a she and she is Reiko, the most wonderful, beautiful, powerful human there is."

Madara crinkled his nose in disgust at the way Hinoe was fawning over the human. Even it— _she_ —seemed overwhelmed by Hinoe's excessive attention.

Hinoe's praise of Reiko seemed unstoppable. Madara sighed and decided to say, "I don't have business with you so if you please go and let me have my sleep. I will not have you disturb me again."

Madara settled again on his paws, but Reiko was persistent. She kept calling him and Hinoe was protesting and when the noise was too much, Madara opened his eyes again to shut everyone up only to find the human standing not three feet away. She was so close she could touch him.

The human seemed angry. "You owe me an apology," she said.

"For what?"

"You made me lose my shoe!"

Madara huffed. "And whose fault was that?"

"Well, it wasn't mine, that's for sure."

Madara laughed mockingly. "Wasn't yours, was it? Well next time don't throw away your shoe at some random ayakashi or you'll get far worse than that."

Reiko glared at him. "Apologize."

Madara huffed again, his breath blowing her hair and skirt. "Just use another shoe."

Reiko pressed her lips. "I don't have other shoes," she gritted, as if it pained her to admit that.

Madara made a pointed look at her feet, which were wearing another pair of shoes.

"Fine! You don't want to apologize? Then you owe me a game."

"I told you I don't play games with humans." Madara sighed. The human was irritating and before she could argue some more, he looked at Hinoe, who was still staring starry-eyed at Reiko, and told her, "Bring her back to the humans," before he set off and flew with the wind.

There would be no sleep wherever Reiko was.

He heard Reiko's call but Madara headed for another part of the forest without looking back.

 **~ O ~**

It was a game of cat-and-mouse after that. He didn't know how, but Reiko was always able to find him, intercept him on his stroll, _jump_ at him from a tree. He'd shook her off and fly to another part of the forest. But every day she kept coming. Worse, Hinoe began hounding him at night, telling him he should apologize or at least look for the shoe and return it to her. But it had been over a week and there was no way he was going to look for that shoe.

Then came one day when he was sitting atop a boulder, his head facing up toward the sun. Reiko should be coming anytime soon. And then he'd just fly somewhere like always. But then minutes pass and there was no sign of her. Madara looked around. Maybe this was his lucky day. Finally he could rest in peace.

But something ticked him. He rolled from one side to the other. He couldn't rest.

Madara decided to take a walk, and then he found himself in the clearing he first met Reiko. Feeling strangely guilty, Madara walked around toward the place he threw the shoe. It had been a week. It probably wasn't there anymore.

He looked around the ground while trying not to seem as if he was looking for something. In his search, he suddenly heard voices.

"You can't run anymore," the voice said, followed by several laughter.

Madara frowned in disgust. Ayakashi ganging up on other ayakashi. The things these lesser youkai would do.

But then the next voice he heard made him pause.

"You know you're just a bunch of cowards, right?" Reiko mocked. "If you want power, then go get it yourself."

"That's what we're going to do once we have the Book of Friends."

Curious of the show, Madara stepped through the trees on his right and saw Reiko hitting one of the ayakashi with a long thick wood just in time. She noticed him and exclaimed, "Ah! Found you!" as she hit the other one with the stick. Madara had, accidentally, stepped on the last one and it was screaming and squirming under his paw.

"Mercy! Have mercy!"

Madara lifted his paw. The ayakashi he'd stepped on looked up and he saw the color drained out of its face as it realized who he was. He hadn't even said anything before the ayakashi gathered his friends and fled.

Reiko grunted, sticking the wood on the ground and leaning against it. "That teach them not to get into a fight with me."

But Madara was staring at Reiko, at the bruises and dirt on her face and arm. There was even a cut across her cheek.

"Did you get those from fighting those ayakashi?" he asked.

"Huh? Oh, these?" Reiko shrugged. "Nah. They couldn't even touch me. It's just some of the kids in town." She said it nonchalantly but Madara caught the bitterness in her voice.

That's when he noticed something on the ground.

"Isn't that your shoe?"

Reiko followed his line of sight and her face immediately brightened at the sight of the dirty shoe half hidden among the grass and shrubs. "My shoe!" Her smile was so bright at such a grimy, muddy shoe. She picked it up as if it was nothing and she grinned at Madara as she thanked him. Not that he was looking for it, he told her.

As she stood up, Madara finally noticed the book in her hand. The cover said it was the infamous Book of Friends. Reiko noticed his stare and she told him, "Nope, you're not getting this either."

Madara scoffed. "As if I need something like that to be seen as a ruler in these parts."

Reiko laughed and Madara wondered if she didn't get along with the other humans, and that was why she spent so much time with these youkai and ayakashi.

 **~ O ~**

Reiko stopped looking for Madara after that. She still wandered the forest and rumors about her escalated until almost everyone feared her. Still, the amount of ayakashi who fell into her obvious pranks only increased. Hinoe still accompanied her everywhere whenever she could, and sometimes, she would tell him how she saw people mock Reiko openly and throw rocks at her. Hinoe was ready to give them a piece of her mind but Reiko always stopped her.

Sometimes, Madara would cross paths with Reiko. And Reiko would smile and greet him as if they were old friends. And then she'd ask him to play a game with her and he'd told her he didn't play games with humans.

"Afraid you'll lose?" Reiko teased.

"I will win even with your cheating," Madara said.

Reiko gasped in a mock hurt. "I never cheat."

She laughed a lot and then they'd separate and Madara wouldn't see her for weeks, months.

 **~ O ~**

It was raining that day and Madara, again, was dozing in a clearing in the forest. Why was he sleeping in the rain? He was bored. He had nothing to do. It was raining. He decided to sleep to pass the time.

Then suddenly, the rain stopped dripping on his face.

He opened his eyes. Reiko was there with an umbrella over his head, the rain drenching her hair, her clothes. She smiled when he looked up to meet her eyes.

"Why are you sleeping in the rain?" she asked.

"I sleep when I want to, where I want to," he said. "Besides, we don't get sick from sleeping in the rain like you do."

"That's right," Reiko said. The smile she wore faltered slightly. Madara always wondered whether that brightness she had whenever she was with him was forced. Her smile, her laughter. He had seen her with the other youkai. That hopeless determination. Getting one name then another. As if she had nothing better to do in her world. But now, he saw neither of those things.

Reiko smiled again. "I'm leaving," she said. Madara blinked, not knowing why she was telling him this. "I finished school, so I'm leaving town."

Madara nodded. "Happy travels."

Reiko nodded. She stood there for a long time, without saying anything, staring at the ground, staring at nothing.

"You know, I met someone," she muttered. But then she shook her head, and smiled again, this time brighter. Her usual smile. "Wish me luck!"

 **~ O ~**

That was the last time Madara saw Reiko. She was gone. She never got back to the forest. Talks about her in the mountain died down though ayakashi still remembered because memories lived on in an ayakashi's life.

And then years passed. A few years were nothing compared to the immortal life of youkai and ayakashi. The human town didn't change. The mountain and forest didn't change. Sometime along the way, a lone exorcist had come and gone, leaving many of the mountain residents sealed. Madara was one of them, sealed inside a lucky cat statue near a shrine.

How much time had passed since then? He didn't know. He never counted.

It was a day like any other day when Madara saw yet another human crouching down before his shrine. He sighed, reluctantly preparing himself to hear another set of wishes and prayers, when he heard a giggle.

"You look cute like that, Madara."

Reiko?

She broke the seal and Madara was released. But he'd gotten used to the lucky cat form that when he emerged, he was not his usual wolf-like beast but a fat, calico cat.

Reiko snorted with laughter.

"Don't laugh!" he growled.

But that only made Reiko laugh even more.

"Your voice!" she cackled. "What happened to your voice?"

"Ugh, it'll take a while to be able to stay in my beautiful true form, but for now, this will do." Madara shook himself and Reiko snorted again.

"Look here you," he said menacingly, though with his slightly shrill voice, Reiko couldn't stop giggling. "Just because I'm like this doesn't mean I can't eat you. So stop laughing if you still value your life."

Reiko laughed, then cleared her throat, and said seriously, "Yes, Sensei," but she snorted again, and hide her smile behind her hand.

"Seriously," Madara grunted. "What are you doing here anyway? I thought you'd left."

"Aww that's harsh, Sensei. Don't you miss me?"

"Actually I didn't, though Hinoe couldn't stop crying the first time you left," he said, scratching his ear with his paw. "But, 'sensei', huh? I kind of like that. You call me that from now on."

Reiko chuckled. "I understand, Sensei."

"How did you find me?"

"I met Hinoe not too long ago and she told me you got sealed." Reiko laughed again. "The great Madara got sealed by an exorcist," she added under her breath.

"What was that?!"

Reiko cleared her throat. "Nothing."

Madara narrowed his eyes but decided to let it drop. "So, why are you here?"

"Nothing in particular," she said. "Just that…" Reiko sighed.

"You keep sighing like that, you'll get far older than you already are."

Reiko's hand moved so fast he couldn't avoid it hitting his head.

"What was that for?!"

"You don't say that to a woman, Sensei," Reiko said in mock seriousness. "But, well… I have a daughter now, so I guess that does make me an old woman."

"You have a child?"

Reiko nodded. "She's so beautiful and smart. She's not like her mother at all," she said wistfully. "I'd love for you to meet her but she doesn't have this… ability." Reiko paused. "Madara, I have a favor to ask."

"Are you sure? Asking a favor from an ayakashi, that is."

Reiko looked at him firmly. "Will you keep the Book of Friends safe?"

That made Madara pause.

"I'm asking you this because you're the only one I trust."

"I may use it for my own purpose."

"No, you won't."

"How would you know?"

"Because I've seen it."

Madara narrowed his eyes. He didn't know why he didn't ask how she'd know.

"All right," he finally said.

Reiko sagged with relief, as if a great burden had left her. "Thank you."

"You're not going to do anything reckless, are you?" Madara asked as Reiko began to stand up.

Reiko grinned. "Of course not. I have a daughter to take care of."

 **~ O ~**

Madara never saw Reiko since. He had promised to keep the Book safe, but she never once came back to give it to him. And then many more years passed before he came to learn that Reiko was dead and that she had a grandson who had come to live in the town she had lived in, the Book of Friends in his possession. He never knew how Reiko died. Apparently the grandson, Natsume Takashi, was never told much about her. When Madara asked him to give him the Book of Friends, Takashi resisted. But he had a promise to keep and a debt to pay, both to Reiko and to her grandson, so Madara stayed to protect both Natsume Takashi and the Book of Friends.

 **~ END ~**


End file.
